Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue

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Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue

Charity No: 1204413 🦔 Providing first aid, care and rehab to help our local hedgehog population. All natural normal behaviours!
(11)

�Does a hedgehog need help? �
You probably heard that if you see a hedgehog out in the day then it’s ill … this is not always the case! The key question! “is the hedgehog moving purposefully?”
At this time of year females may be seen moving nests, feeding, or cooling if her nest is in the sun! The best thing to do is observe � and see whether they return to their nest. A hedgehog may need help if:

It appears lethargic
It appears to be sunbathing’ (hedgehogs don’t sunbathe)
Or if it is allowing flies to settle on it. If you’re unsure, please drop me a message.

�If you have a hedgehog that requires help
� please carefully place it in a high sided cardboard box (they’re good climbers!)
�Include a covered hot water bottle or heat pad then also cover the hedgehog with a light coloured towel - yes even in summer as a sick or stressed hedgehog will suffer from hypothermia so it’s important to keep them warm.
�Please do NOT offer any feed, only water, as the energy required to digest the feed can often cause them to deteriorate further.

14/08/2024

We would so appreciate your nomination for £5000 👋🦔🧡 - THE LINK SHOULD WORK
NOW. Our charity number is 1204413.

We could receive £5,000 in the Movement for Good draw.

13/08/2024

We have over 2.5k followers. Could you donate a pound for PRICKLE-PRESERVATION? ☺️🦔🩺💉🔬🧡🦔🌳🍂🪵

We understand that some donors are hesitant to contribute towards salaries, but the reality is that without us humans , no hedgehog (or other wildlife) can be helped.

Our journey began in 2021 in a very old, worn-out shed, and we've since grown to include two new sheds—one of which serves as our ICU unit, where we care for our most critical patients. Since our inception, we've treated over 550 hedgehogs, with the demand for our services increasing every year.

As the only wildlife rescue operating in Milton Keynes, we receive hedgehogs from as far away as Leicester due to the overwhelming need and the limited capacity of local rescues. The challenges we face to help save hedgehogs are significant; we see hedgehogs with severe injuries, such as those from strimmers, or suffering from flystrike and maggots - conditions that can take over an hour to treat and require great skill to prevent the hedgehog from curling up. We also administer subcutaneous fluids and electrolytes to severely dehydrated and malnourished hedgehogs and conduct faecal exams to identify and treat internal parasites like fluke, roundworm, and lungworm. We also received litters of baby hedgehogs (hoglets!) which have been abandoned or have lost their Sow (mother hedgehog) – these hoglets often need feeding every 2-3 hours.

To continue and expand our work, we are seeking funding to build a financial reserve that would allow one of us to work full-time at the rescue for a year. Think of the difference that could make!

We are continually amazed by how busy the summer months become. Having a full-time staff member would enable us to help more hedgehogs, conduct more releases, provide educational talks to schools (which are often required during the day), participate in fundraising events, help with research and stay on top of data and administrative tasks. We are incredibly proud of the progress we've made since starting from our old shed, and we are eager to take the next step in advancing the rescue efforts to better protect and preserve our vulnerable hedgehog population.

Every donation counts, so please consider giving to this worthy cause! Thank you from everyone at DHR and of course, our hedgehog patients!

We are a wildlife small rescue called Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue (registered charity 1204413)… Rachel Matthews needs your support for Full-time Hedgehog Care

07/08/2024

Meet Guy, he arrived today after been seen out in the day. He’s terribly thin 🙁 - he looked so sad on the scales weighing just 463g, he should be double this…but he did start to drink and has eaten a little. We’ve also administered fluids.
As usual we are waiting for a poo to see what’s happening on the inside - but I suspect Fluke 😣

27/07/2024

Don’t forget to enter!! Remember you go to the link posted by Woburn to submit your suggestion 😃🦔

25/07/2024

Can you name our new foster unit? Make sure you enter the competition with our friends Woburn Safari Park! 😃

22/07/2024

Calling all our supporters 🦔 We have 34 hedgehogs on site at the moment so are asking a huge favour - Are you able to please take a minute to make a small donation towards the hedgehogs in our care?
https://www.deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk/donate Lots of hungry mouths to feed and hoglets still being found needing care. Here’s a list of all the prickly patients in our care at the moment.

💕ELSIE’S WARD - ICU💕
Melanie
Velmon
Sammi
Henry
Teddy

💚PODS💚
Dottie
Holly
Buzz
Pickle
Wobble
Rene
Max
Eva
Luna
Sunny and Helga
Ernie
Isla

🧡Outside🧡
Lewis, George and Lando
4 hoglets (not yet named)
Petula
Prunella
Mum & 3 hoglets
Scooby, Shaggy and Alfie

34 HOGS ONSITE! Plus we also have 11 over in foster care.

Every donation will help your local hedgehog population.

22/07/2024

Releases are underway this week! This is handsome boy Elliott who got released last night and darling Wobble - she had neurological issues when she came to us and kept collapsing to one side but now walking well and will be released tomorrow!

20/07/2024

We were so impressed to see this fantastic sign at a Pets Corner store this week! We have recently switched to feeding YORA cat food to our hogs as it is unique in being insect based! Ideal for our hogs who are naturally insectivores 🦗🪲🐛🪱…..:notice that we haven’t included a slug and snail? Slugs and snails make up only 3% of a hogs diet and actually consuming large quantities can infect them with fluke and lungworm.

20/07/2024

Last mini ICU now filled with these 4 adorable mice - they are harvest mice 🌾 how we can tell? They’re the only mouse in the UK with a prehensile tail which means they can use it like a fifth limb to hold onto grasses etc, and like hedgehogs, they sadly also appear on the Mammals Society Red List. Thank you to Lauren Atkinson for rescuing them and reaching out for a rescue for them! 🧡

20/07/2024

We are looking for a large safe garden for the release of a Mum and her 4 hoglets who are now ready to go. As usual we require a garden with: 🦔at least one hedgehog house
↔️free access in and out for them
🌳bushes and shrubs
🦮no dogs
🦡no badger sightings
💦ponds must have an escape route
If you think you have a suitable garden and would love to help this little family, then WHATSAPP us on 0️⃣7️⃣9️⃣4️⃣3️⃣1️⃣7️⃣4️⃣3️⃣4️⃣9️⃣
Unfortunately we will not be able to respond to everyone and only submissions via WhatsApp will be considered.

19/07/2024

Sorry but we are full to capacity at the moment. If you have found a hedgehog in need, please visit HelpWildlife.co.uk or contact your local veterinary practice.

14/07/2024

Big day today! The hogletts are ready!
Come on England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇪🇸🦔

12/07/2024

⭐️Meet Little Melanie !!⭐️
She came in collapsed with a maggot ridden wound. It is being treated and is healing nicely, she is certainly on the mend and loving her dinner this evening ! ❤️🦔

08/07/2024

The hoglets are growing up fast ! ❤️🦔

08/07/2024

Massive thanks to Fred at Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes today for calling us about a little hoglet wondering around. When we got there he was very cold and lethargic. Weighing only 108g, we are pleased to say though that he’s now in our ICU, warm and has had his first feed and fluids…and of course we’ve called him Max ☺️🦔 ( Verstappen).
If anyone would like to help little Max (and the other 38 hedgehogs in our care!) you can donate via our website➡️ https://www.deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk/donate

06/07/2024

We are all getting in the football spirit here at Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue ⚽️🦔

03/07/2024

If you’ve found a hedgehog in need of help, please ensure that you call us! 🦔📞🚑
Please do not email as these are only checked every other day. Would you email the vets if your pet was ill and you needed it seeing? Or if you needed an ambulance 🚑 ? Please always call us if you have a hedgehog in need of help.
0️⃣7️⃣9️⃣4️⃣3️⃣1️⃣7️⃣4️⃣3️⃣4️⃣9️⃣

30/06/2024

We’ve been out this morning with our thermal imaging camera helping a follower to find their cat. It’s been lost from Cottesloe Court but they live in Bedford so could well be making her way back home. If you live between Stony Stratford and Bedford, please keep an eye out for her and contact Ella Cook xx

29/06/2024

June is a very busy time at the rescue and Percival is one of fourteen adorable hoglets currently in our care. ❤️🦔

27/06/2024

25/06/2024

In May we had a pregnant hog brought into us. We have left her alone to nest, only cleaning where necessary and changing food and water. She gave birth around 2nd June 🥰

Today one of our volunteers spotted one of the babies venturing out!

Just look at that waddle 🦔💕

22/06/2024

Lots of poos to check this evening. Here’s an example of what we see! Two types of eggs here, a fluke egg and Capillaria (roundworm) eggs. Both parasites are horrid but can be treated providing the hog is strong enough to get through the treatment. We poo check over the first week here to make sure we are not missing anything! It’s a stinky job - but someone has to do it 🔍💩

19/06/2024

This is Angel, weighing just 240g. He came in last week teeny and looking sunken in due to being under weight. He is filling out nicely already and making great progress! 🦔🩵

Glove for size comparison 💙

08/06/2024

We are getting many calls about baby birds at the moment. It’s in our nature as humans to want to intervene and help but it isn’t always necessary - correction MOST OF THE TIME it’s not necessary - here’s a useful flow diagram to follow should you feel concerned about a baby bird 🐤

07/06/2024

SORTED
Is anyone please able to collect a hog from Wavendon Gate for us? MK7 7SE.

21/05/2024

🧡VOLUNTEER HEDGEHOG FIRST AIDERS 🧡
Are you free during the morning / daytime and looking for something really rewarding? We are looking to take on some hog first aiders to assist us with hogs who come into the rescue in the mornings / afternoon. You will be trained to provide essential first aid care to the hogs when they arrive. A commitment on at least 2 shifts (morning or afternoons) per week is required. You must be over 18. Ideally have some animal handling experience and be able to drive. Please also be aware that you must not be squeamish and you must be able to handle seeing animals who do sometimes arrive with very bad injuries.
Full training will be given. If you’re able to meet all the above requirements, we would love to hear from you. Please WhatsApp us with your details and experience / availability! 🚑🦔🧡

21/05/2024

Sorry, we are currently full.
If you have a hog in need, please visit www.helpwildlife.co.uk or contact your local vet.

HelpWildlife.co.uk - Helping You to Help Them

20/05/2024

Hello we’ve had reports of a hedgehog that’s injured.

“At about 13:30 today I was cycling on the redway along the H7 just south of Oakgrove school (what 3 words address: stared.mass.drag). A hedgehog crossed the path in front of me, its rear right leg was injured - bent underneath and being dragged. It’s disappeared into thick undergrowth beneath the tree on the north side of the path. We've been back with gloves and a box but couldn't see any signs of movement, and the undergrowth is thick enough that I felt if I waded in too deeply I was more likely to tread on the hedgehog than to find it.”

If anyone is over that way, we would really appreciate it if you keep an eye out. A wounded hog in this warm weather will be prone to fly strike 😔🪰

13/05/2024

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUGGESTIONS - We’ve choosen Thistle 🤎

Our latest admission is this beautiful thrush fledgling 🐥. We are struggling to come up with a name for it. Any ideas? Please post them in the comments.

12/05/2024

Can you help provide Royston with a release site? He’s from Kingsmead (found near the King George). If you can help, please WhatsApp us with the following photos on
0️⃣7️⃣9️⃣4️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣7️⃣4️⃣3️⃣4️⃣9️⃣
📷Your hedgehog house
📷Access points
📷Any ponds (must have escape route)
📷one showing the whole garden.
We won’t be able to reply to everyone but if you can help, please get in contact.
Thank you 🦔

Address

Deanshanger
Deanshanger
MK196JA

Website

https://www.deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk/

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Videos

⭐️Meet Little Melanie !!⭐️ She came in collapsed with a maggot ridden wound. It is being treated and is healing nicely, she is certainly on the mend and loving her dinner this evening ! ❤️🦔

The hoglets are growing up fast ! ❤️🦔

Hetty is free

In May we had a pregnant hog brought into us. We have left her alone to nest, only cleaning where necessary and changing food and water. She gave birth around 2nd June 🥰 Today one of our volunteers spotted one of the babies venturing out! Just look at that waddle 🦔💕

Blackbird release 🤎🐦‍⬛

Busy day today. We had this little one come in late last night and have admitted 3 hedgehogs today! 🐦‍⬛🦔🦔🦔🤎 If you would like to help care for our wonderful UK wildlife, you can donate online here - we would be so thankful💚 https://www.deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk/donate

We admitted this little Vole who we called Prickle this week who had been caught by a cat. When we examined it, we found it was bleeding due to a nasty wound behind its ear. The wound was cleaned and some antiseptic gel applied. It’s now on antibiotics as cat attacks often lead to infection. It’s doing well and should be able to go once the antibiotic course has been completed.

First collapsed hog of the year 😞🦔 If you find a hedgehog out in the day, please remember to get it to a rescue as soon as possible so it has the very best chance of survival. When hedgehogs are out in the day, it goes against all of it natural instincts and even though they can appear “well” this is often just a show and them trying not to look vulnerable. Remember - Out in the day - NOT Ok! 🦔

We are so excited to finally share with you our new shed Elsie’s Ward (ICU). It’s taken a long time. Huge thank you to Mercia Garden Products for donating the shed and to Matthew Clarke. Also to Matthews Construction (herts) Ltd for fitting the units and floor for us - and to everyone else who donated and made this project possible for us. Don’t forget you can help us care for hedgehogs by sponsoring one of these amazing Incubators by visit our website: https://www.deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk/sponsor Thank you again and we hope you like it!

Mrs Prickle-pants was released last night. Only 7 now in the rescue 🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔 bit of a difference from 26 which we had at one point!

Another great release night tonight! Thanks to all involved. Meg, Eva, India, Nick and Sonica all born free and now living free! Here’s Meg making her way into her new home 💕🦔🌳🪵

Great night tonight with Stan, Maggie, Jenson, Hedgie and Peridot all being released!! It’s been a long wet winter - so pleased to get some of these little guys out where they belong! Peridot is already causing mischief! Stealing a dishcloth! “This looks nice! I will have this for my bed!”

First time we have seen a badger 🦡 we in the garden. Will be holding off releases here for a little while - just incase - but then again badgers don’t always eat hedgehogs. You can see it’s happily foraging. Hogs seen on the cameras after the visit! Our friends at Northamptonshire Badger Group advised: Now and next couple months is peak time for movement. Although we’ve noticed an earlier start to this, probably due to the mild wet weather. Cubs are born now, it’s peak time for mating so they wander further and have fights too, plus some badgers are kicked out to make room, and all that is why it’s also the peak time for road traffic collisions. There is also more food about. The second peak is in autumn.

Mice’s

The mice now all have their eyes open and are doing really well. They have been moved out their little ICU today!

Feeding time

These little guys are being fed every 2 hours - they’re taking the formula so well now. ❤️🐭 Don’t worry we haven’t forgotten about our lovely hogs 🦔❤️🦔

It’s not very often we get a non-hedgehog patient but this little Vole came in today after being caught by a cat. Luckily he hasn’t got any wounds and is moving well so we will be keeping it in for monitoring then will release in a couple of days.